What is Autodialing and What is Smart Autodialing

Autodialing is the process of automatically dialing (hence the term) a list of phone numbers using a device called an autodialer. The autodialer calls through a list of phone numbers one by one, allowing for much quicker dialing than human fingers alone. An autodialer can be a standalone electronic device, but these days many autodialers are actually computers running special software.

One type of autodialer is what is known as a smart autodialer. As the name implies, these devices are more sophisticated than traditional autodialers, in that a smart autodialer can interact with the person or device on the other end of the phone. When a smart autodialer places a call which is answered, it first detects whether it has connected with a human being or another machine. If it is the latter, it can leave a personalized message to encourage the person to return the call. A smart autodialer can detect keypad tones, so it is able to give a list of options to a person on the other end of the phone call. This allows the recipient to confirm the call or press a key to speak to a person live. A smart autodialer can also be programmed to automatically perform this transfer without the recipient pressing a key.

Many of the features of a smart autodialer are made possible by a text-to-speech engine. This is what enables it to leave voice messages or “talk” to a human respondent. The device can be programmed with a message template, containing variables which can be replaced with specific values to create a personalized message. For example, the autodialer can replace a name variable with the name of the person being called on a specific call.

In addition, a smart autodialer can many more capabilities, including automatic redial for a busy signal, scheduling and automatic rescheduling capabilities, and the ability to check the federal Do Not Call Registry before placing a call. Real time records of each call are stored in a simple spreadsheet noting the name and number of each party called, whether the call has been confirmed by the target party, and the status of each call. This makes it simple to keep track of which calls have been successfully completed, which need to be rescheduled, and so on.

Traditional autodialers require expensive equipment to operate. This is no longer true, largely because PCs are getting more powerful and many of the hardware features are implemented in software. One commercially available smart autodialer is the Broadcast by Phone Autodialer by Voicent. It requires only the autodialer software, a voice modem, and your computer.

Autodialers revolutionized the telemarketing field. With the addition of smart technology to these devices, the field was revolutionized again. Autodialers can enhance your business by eliminating cold calling and improving your bottom line.

Andrew Kern - Technology evangelist for automatic phone technologies, including Autodialer, Predictive dialer, and VoiceXML gateway